Heather Hartman's work responds to the constant flux of the visual world and our temporary space within it. Painted images on paper appear soft like the distortions of light, shadow, and atmosphere as they are viewed through a layer of gouache and polyester mesh. The resulting images are a combination of blurry, atmospheric forms and distorted shadows that lie beneath washes of color and intense passages of light. In the paintings, the arrangement of these elements alludes to an ever-shifting landscape; a place where things slip in and out of focus and viewers cannot always locate themselves. This sense of shifting space is particularly relevant in an age where our relationship to physical place is increasingly tenuous.

Hartman was born in Los Angeles, California. In December of 1989 her family moved to Tennessee, and Hartman was deeply impacted by the atmosphere, weather, and constantly changing skies in her new home. She attended Auburn University and received her Bachelors of Fine Art in 2005. She earned a Master of Fine Art with a concentration in Painting and Drawing at the University of Tennessee in 2009. Her work has been featured in various solo and group shows throughout the country. Recently she was selected for inclusion in New American Paintings Juried Exhibition in Print, South, Issue 124. Hartman’s work was included in the 28th Annual McNeese Works on Paper National Exhibition, where she received a Juror’s Mention Award. She was featured in the 365 artist/ 365 days project in 2014. Her work has been written about by Dr. Jerry Cullum of Art Papers, and is in Fidelity Corporate Art Collection, the collection of 21c Museum Hotels and the collection of Auburn University. Hartman lives and works in Knoxville, Tennessee where she is a member of the Vacuum Shop Studios Artist Collaborative